Technical Communication SuiteFind the latest information nuggets, tips and tricks, and other updates related to the Adobe Technical Communication Suite.2013-03-06T06:12:11Zhttp://blogs.adobe.com/tcs/feed/atomWordPressGyanesh Talwarhttp://www.twitter.com/gyntlwhttp://blogs.adobe.com/tcs/?p=18302012-12-07T11:11:53Z2012-12-07T11:10:41ZFrameMaker 11 FDK has new APIs that allow you to build a connector with comprehensive support for any CMS. Using the new APIs, developers will be able to build a more seamless connector between any CMS and FrameMaker 11 with less effort!

The FDK 11 documentation is now updated with the new APIs, structures, and properties that you will need to make FrameMaker work with any CMS.

We are pleased to share the FDK 11 documentation with you. The documentation is available in the FDK section of the Adobe FrameMaker Devnet page.

The following major enhancements have been made in this release:

Key catalogs for key-based (indirect) referencing

FDK 11 support key catalogs for indirect referencing. You can define a key for a file or resource in your project; updating the key will update the references to the file or resource everywhere.

A key catalog is a collection of all the keys in your project—you can manage all the keys from the key catalog.

New FDK APIs to update DITA references

Two new APIs, F_ApiUpdateDITAReference() and F_ApiUpdateDITAReferences() have been added to provide the ability to update DITA references.

Support for object styles

Object styles work similar to Paragraph and Character formats but work on objects. Users can save frequently used object properties as a style and can apply these object styles to various objects, such as images, anchored frames, and text frames for consistent size and appearance. Object styles are controlled through the new FO_GraphicsFmt object.

Support for multiple views

To support the FrameMaker 11 feature of multiple views, FDK 11 provides a new Session property FP_ActiveView, which can be set to one of the following:

WYSIWYG View

Author View

XML View

Support for hotspots in objects

FDK 11 supports hotspots through the following properties:

FP_ViewHotspotIndicators

FP_IsHotspot

FP_HotspotCmdStr

FP_HotspotTitle

Support for line numbers

The following properties are provided for managing line numbers:

FP_LineNumRestart

FP_LineNumShow

FP_LineNumDistance

Support for guided structured authoring with banner text

Banner text in a FrameMaker file instructs you about what to enter in an element. The following properties are used to handle banner text:

FP_BannerText

FP_BannerTextDisplay

For more information on the new features, see the What’s New section in the FDK Programmer’s Reference.

Creating clean, good looking PDFs from structured content is either difficult, expensive, or both.

XSL-FO is free but complex and offers limited options

Paid tools do a better job than XSL-FO, but …

The easiest and best PDF are created by saving/printing a FrameMaker book. (But, if only we could create a book from a ditamap and then create a PDF from it, we would have the PDFs that are nice to look at as well as easy to create.)

FrameMaker 11 allows you to create a book from a ditamap. Then you can save/print this book to a professional looking PDF. You do not need to install or buy a plug in and you need not master XSL-FO. FrameMaker 11 includes an ini file using which you can configure the components, look-and-feel, footnotes, and templates of the book you create from a ditamap. You can then save the book to a PDF, just like an unstructured book.

The ditafm-output.ini gives you the control of all the aspects of a book. With ease, you can use notepad or another editor to set the various options in the ini file and create a FrameMaker book. Using the ini file, you can configure:

• How a DITAMAP is converted to a book

• Whether to generate files such as ToC, Index, and Table of References or not.

• What should be the order of the files in a book

• Which templates are to be used for creating various files of the book

• Contents of these files

• Page numbering

• Footnotes and table footnotes

• Table titles

• And more

A minimal use case: steps

For a quick demo of this feature:

1. Open the ditafm-output.ini file (at %appdata%\Adobe\FrameMaker\11\) and set the following options:

Option

When set to 0

When set to 1

GenerateTOC

ToC is NOT generated in the output book

ToC IS generated in the output book

GenerateIndex

Index is NOT generated in the output book

Index IS generated in the output book

GenerateBookTitlePage

Book title page is NOT generated in the output book

Book title page IS generated in the output book

Option

Detail

OutputFilesOrder

Specify the order of the files in the output. Use the following values delimited with pipelines to specify the order: BookTitle|TOC|Files|ListofFigures|ListofTables|Index.

3. Review the book and make any required changes in the ini file. Regenerate the book.

Like the test drive? Check out the documentation to know all the options.

2. Initialization settings in maker.ini file

Adobe FrameMaker uses an ini (initialization file) to set many application and user preferences. By changing it, you can modify FrameMaker’s default behavior according to your needs. Maker.ini is an important initialization file and it controls many aspects of FrameMaker including:

Pasting from clipboard

Preferences (spelling, interface etc)

API Clients

Structured Authoring preferences

CMS preferences

Handing unavailable fonts in documents

And more. Once you edit the maker.ini file, changes take place the next time you launch FrameMaker.

Information about a lot of important flags that help you do the above and more are available in the INI Reference documentation. Maker.ini documentation is being worked on and information on rest of the flags will be made available soon.

]]>1mdavidhttp://blogs.adobe.com/tcs/?p=17142011-12-22T08:13:19Z2011-12-22T06:05:03ZAdobe Community Help Client (CHC) is the Help viewer that comes with Adobe products. When you press F1 from an Adobe product or launch Help from the Help menu, Help topics are displayed in CHC. CHC provides powerful search capabilities, in both online mode and offline mode. However, if you’re used to searching using browsers when online and in PDFs when offline, you might find the unified online/offline experience of CHC a little overwhelming.

Tip: Make sure you click the arrow button to the left of Search Options to view and configure the search options.

Online and Local are the two top-level search locations that CHC provides. The default is Online. After selecting Online or Local, you have the option to filter results further.

*Needless to say that you need to be connected to the Internet to search online*

When you search online, the search need not be limited to the product Help. For example, if you select All or Adobe.com, you will likely find relevant content created by experts from the Adobe community.

Search all content

To search all relevant content posted on adobe.com and curated from outside adobe.com:

Select the product in CHC.

Set Search Location as Online.

Select Filter Results as All.

Enter the search term in the search box, and press Enter to view the results.

CHC then searches not only the product’s Help pages, but also knowledgebase articles, Developer Center articles as well as the most relevant content created by experts from the Adobe user community, and then displays the results.

The following screenshot displays the search results for the search term Using Templates, searched using the product selected as FrameMaker and the Filter Results drop-down option set to All.

To exclude content from outside adobe.com, select Adobe.com from the Filter Results drop-down list. The results include Help pages, Developer Center articles, knowledgebase articles, videos, and other relevant content pieces posted on adobe.com.

Info: The content posted on adobe.com includes valuable user contributions.

Search within a product’s documentation

CHC provides easy ways of restricting search to a product’s Help in both online and offline (Local or PDF) modes.

Search within a product’s documentation in online mode

Searching in online mode helps you automatically search within the latest copy of the product’s documentation.

In CHC, select the product. For example, FrameMaker 10.

Set Search Location as Online.

Select the Adobe reference only option.

Enter your search term in the search box and press Enter.

CHC then searches within the product’s Help pages and displays the results.

The following screenshot displays the search results for the search term – Display Master Pages, searched using the Adobe reference only option.

The disadvantage of using the Adobe reference only option is that it searches only within the product’s Help pages. Knowledgebase articles, Developer Center articles as well as the valuable content contributed by experts from the Adobe user community are NOT searched.

Search within a product’s documentation in offline mode

In CHC, select the product for which the documentation needs to be searched. For example, FrameMaker 10.

To search within FrameMaker 10 Help, you can do one of the following:

a. Set the Search Location as Local and select the appropriate document to be searched from the Filter Results drop down. Enter the search term in the search box, and press Enter to view the results.

b. Open the product’s Help by clicking the View Help PDF link. When the PDF is open, you can search using the search capabilities of Adobe Reader.

The following screenshot displays the search results for the search term Display Master Pages with Search Location set to Local and the Using FrameMaker 10 guide selected from the Filter Results drop-down list (method (a)):

The disadvantage of method (a) is that you may not have the latest copy of the documentation on your system.

By default, CHC is set to notify you when updates are available, and gives you a chance to install those updates.

]]>2Chiradeep Majumdarhttp://blogs.adobe.com/tcs/?p=16802011-11-28T10:30:13Z2011-11-28T10:18:03ZSince long, authors have faced the dilemma of whether to focus on extensive keyword research or create killer content that benefits users.

Keyword research helps identify the most relevant user queries about your subject. However, to create unique content you must focus on user needs and think up ways to present relevant content in a unique fashion. Keyword research can at best provide a framework to devise content strategy.

There is no prescribed formula to create unique content. You should be a subject specialist. You should also have the ability to astutely understand user needs and write great content.

Provide new information or concept that is important to readers: Provide a brand-new piece of information that never existed before. For example, talk about new product features, for example the cool new Adobe Illustrator feature that lets you trace artwork. Talk of a revolutionary concept that redefined your product roadmap. For example, talk about the concept of Clipping Masks in Adobe Illustrator.

Suggest a unique approach to address a burning user issue: Guide readers through a new technique, approach, or workaround that hasn’t been explored before. Suggest a new workflow that solves a longstanding user problem, for example a workflow to adjust path segments in Adobe Illustrator.

Provide your perspective on a controversial or complicated topic: Introduce a thought provoking dimension to the topic. However, avoid getting too involved into a debate (for obvious reasons).

Broach a controversial topic to spark a debate: Write a blog or article on a controversial topic that provides the platform for other people to debate amongst themselves. In this way, you can steer clear from the controversy. However, you can still be a neutral observer and moderate when specific comments get acerbic.

Present your own analysis of a subject or data: Present your unique analysis of data that commonly available about a subject or event. Highlight insightful details to create maximum impact.

Answer frequently asked questions: Prepare a list of frequently asked questions about a product or feature. Provide answers in your own words to best satisfy user queries. Effective query resolution helps you gain the confidence of users who might later refer your content to others.

Above all, the key to creating unique content is the genuine intent to help users without expecting anything in return. If you continue to create original content that is of substantial value to users, they will become your loyal followers. They will recommend your content to others, which helps you build an impressive reputation.

]]>3Nandini Guptahttp://blogs.adobe.com/tcs/?p=16632011-11-15T11:45:50Z2011-11-15T11:45:50ZMany users, especially new users trying to get up-to-speed with RoboHelp, find it easy to learn by watching videos. Those users now have a reason to cheer. We now have a RoboHelp channel on Adobe TV. Currently, 12 videos created by David Rivers for lynda.com are available on that page. Topics covered are for two commonly used workflows: creating and generating webHelp and generating printed documentation.

To help you watch these videos from within RoboHelp online Help, we have embedded them on the relevant Help pages. Some videos found on youtube have also been embedded in related Help topics. Let us know if you find the videos useful.

]]>0Gyanesh Talwarhttp://www.twitter.com/gyntlwhttp://blogs.adobe.com/tcs/?p=16422011-09-28T08:23:50Z2011-09-28T06:54:09ZAdobe FrameMaker help now has embedded videos. How do you like these videos in the help pages? Do they add value to the content? Please give your feedback in the help pages.

You can give feedback either by selecting a radio button and entering an anonymous comment (under the topic title):

Or you can sign in to rate the page and leave feedback with your name/contact details (link located at the bottom of the page):

Your feedback helps us deliver you better help.

]]>1Gyanesh Talwarhttp://www.twitter.com/gyntlwhttp://blogs.adobe.com/tcs/?p=16142011-08-04T10:52:35Z2011-08-03T11:52:51ZThe much-awaited FrameMaker ExtendScript documentation set is now available. The documentation set is enhanced using the value-add feedback from the Adobe customers and partners, including Michael Mueller-Hillebrand and Ian Proudfoot.

ExtendScript is an extended implementation of JavaScript that provides a scripting interface for FrameMaker and many other Adobe applications. For more information on ExtendScript, see JavaScript Tools Guide.

Is ExtendScript difficult to learn?

ExtendScript is easy to learn. If you are familiar with FDK or a scripting language, especially JavaScript, you can immediately use ExtendScript.

What are some of the highlights of the ExtendScript Documentation?

A comparison of FDK and ExtendScript to help people with prior FDK experience to learn ExtendScript faster

Single source help information that replicates the ExtendScript data model and presents information in the same structure

Explains properties in a class and provides links to all the methods in the class

What does the latest ExtendScript documentation include?

The ExtendScript documentation release includes enhancements based on the valuable feedback from the customers and partners. The documentation is single-sourced into two outputs:

The Object Model Viewer replicates the object hierarchy of ExtendScript and presents the information in the same structure with clickable classes, properties, and methods. When you select a class, OMV displays the properties and methods. You can click the property and method names to display their details.

The PDF document of ExtendScript has the following structure and information:

Chapter

Information and structure

Chapter 1: Introduction

Introduces ExtendScript and ExtendScript Toolkit. This chapter describes how to access and use ExtendScript Toolkit to write your first script.

Chapter 2: Sample scripts

Includes sample scripts that you can copy-paste in the ExtendScript Toolkit, run, view results. The next documentation release will have more sample scripts.

Chapter 3: FDK Vs ExtendScript

For users who know FDK. Helps them understand the ExtendScript object model by explaining the naming differences between the two tools. This chapter also includes sample scripts to explain Notifications and Menus and Commands in ExtendScript.

Chapter 4: Object Reference

Lists the classes in the ExtendScript object model and describes all the properties under these classes. Includes links to all method descriptions in all classes.

Chapter 5: Function Summary

Lists the classes in the ExtendScript object model and all the methods under these classes with method descriptions, errors, syntax, and return values.

]]>7Nandini Guptahttp://blogs.adobe.com/tcs/?p=15952011-04-25T05:01:24Z2011-04-25T05:01:24ZIn RoboHelp 9, the WebHelp and FlashHelp SSLs got a new general setting called Title Bar. Predictably, the setting lets you specify the title you want to display in the title bar. What is not so predictable is the power of this small setting (unless, of course, you’re a real-life RoboHelp user generating multiple Help systems from the same source day in and day out).

I realized the power of the Title Bar field when I came across this post on the RoboHelp forum:

I’m trying to generate several WebHelp systems from a single RH8 project. So far it’s working okay, but I can’t figure out how to control the titles used for the browser tabs (see below, which shows the same title being used for two different help systems). It appears that the text defaults to the name of my project, which means that all of my WebHelp systems share the same title, regardless of which conditional build expression and variable set I specify when generating the output.

Is there a way to use customize the title used here? (For example, is there a way to simply use the name of my WebHelp single source output here instead of the project name?)

This is the snapshot the user posted (highlighters added by me):

Multiple Help systems generated from a project have the same text in the title bar (project title) in RoboHelp 8

Now look at the solutions proposed by the moderator (these are the solutions that are possible in RoboHelp 8):

Unfortunately any way you slice it you are in for an extra task or two. That’s why I strongly recommend that you complete the Wish Form to remind Adobe this is a needed feature. (link for visiting the Wish Form is in my sig line)

Well, you could repeatedly click File > Project Settings and always change what you see there.

But that’s a bit icky and prone to forgetting to do it.

Probably your best bet is to simply amend the WebHelp start page once you finish generating. Just edit the page using something like Windows Notepad. Amend the line you see below:

Once you amend the line, close and save the file. You should then find the tab reads what you want.

Note: I removed the snapshots from the moderator response. RoboHelp 8 users: Please see the forum thread if you need more help with the solution.

Solution in RoboHelp 9: New Title Bar option in WebHelp and FlashHelp SSL properties

Simple: If you need to generate several WebHelp or FlashHelp systems from a single project, create the SSLs for each system and specify a unique title in the Title Bar option:

Specify a title for each Help system in the Title Bar field | RoboHelp 9

]]>0Nandini Guptahttp://blogs.adobe.com/tcs/?p=15872011-04-19T06:18:14Z2011-04-19T06:18:14ZIf you’re planning to create PDFs for review using RoboHelp 9, here’s a quick tip that will help you control the order of topics in the PDF. By default, RoboHelp uses the order of topics in the Project Files folder while creating the PDF. This is the same order that you see in the Create PDF for Review dialog box.

Topic order is as per the order in Project Files and not the TOC

The important point to remember here is that RoboHelp does not use the order of topics in the TOC. So before you create a PDF for review, make sure that the Project Files folder displays the topics in the order in which you want reviewers to view or read the topics. If required, rearrange the topics by drag-and-drop. An extra step but worth the trouble as the results are exactly what you want.